HIV/AIDS and Discrimination

Almost 30 years into the HIV/AIDS epidemic, discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS persists. Basic misinformation—about HIV/AIDS, how it is transmitted, and what it means to live with it—is at the root of much of this discrimination and remains a justification for exclusions from both private and public sector employment opportunities and other areas of civic life. Until people understand that HIV/AIDS does not categorically prevent anyone from doing a job, raising children, or accessing medical care, discrimination will persist.

The ACLU works to ensure that people with HIV/AIDS are not denied the opportunity to participate fully in all aspects of society because of stereotypes, prejudice, or misinformation about HIV/AIDS, and to ensure that HIV status is taken into account only when justified by a genuine medical necessity.